I've seen so many comments like the original tweet and i don't get it. At worst Turkish delight is its perfectly fine. If I were an English child in 1943 it would probably blow my mind
In Canada we have a candy bar called Big Turk that is produced by Nestle. It’s sold in every corner store, every gas station. It’s everywhere. I have never in my life ever seen someone purchase one, let alone eat one. No idea what it tastes like. I’ve never seen one out of the wrapper in real life, but the pictures sure do look interesting.
Even within Turkey you have to get Turkish delight from specific places otherwise it is shite. I can't imagine you would be able to find anything worthwhile abroad.
I've had a real one from a Turkish place called Gülloglö, which no longer exists, and it was incredible. It was like a block of rose water, covered in powdered sugar, and biting into it was a floral, sugary, explosion, especially combined with their harsh, dark, Turkish tea -- unbelievable.
I loved that place, and no idea how they went under.
Can we at leat agree that the White Witch fed Edmund drugged candy and was suffering from diminished capacity regarding the behavior for which he was convicted?
What I remember in the original movie I had seen (not the more recent ones with CGI but an animated one about the same age as me), they didn't even visually represent the Turkish Delight accurately. I remember them having what looked like fudge or a brownie (possibly baklava). They're actually basically Dots; those nasty gummy candies that I only ever see sold at movie theaters.
It's fucking amazing and not too far off actual Turkish delight. If you buy a block of it and cut it up, it's almost like a hard rose flavoured jelly or gummy. I think it's great myself
I've heard it pointed out before that these kids were living on World War 2 rations and, regardless of the quality of Turkish Delight under normal circumstances, it probably tastes a heck of a lot better when you've been eating mostly meat, cheese, and preserves for the last however long (though in Googling it, I see they did get SOME sweets in rations).
That helps explain why Edmund was initially excited about Turkish delight and called it his favorite. The other thing to remember is that Edmund wasn't actually fed Turkish delight in the book. He was fed snow that the White Witch enchanted. The appearance, taste, and resulting thrall were the effects of the witch's magic. He was actually craving Evil Magic Delight when he betrayed his family (until he was redeemed by Lion Christ's sacrifice of course).
I must agree, those sweets differ in quality but they are mostly good, some are even great (if you are not afraid of diabetes one may get from just looking at it)
As a fellow Turkish delight enjoyer, this thread has been eye opening.
I'm working on a theory: most commenters are probably American. Their sweets have so much sugar content over here that I'm starting to believe they don't like Turkish delights because they are somehow less sugary ?
My boyfriend is from the UK and I gave him authentic Turkish delight, he said he didn't like the rosewater taste.
And that reminds me of the time I reached to a bottle of water in the fridge and only realized by the 2nd "glug" that it was rosewater. It was... okay. I survived.
As an American, I can day it's definitely not the sweetness to me. I find Turkish delight very sweet, almost too sweet. The texture is mostly what hangs me up, as well as a weird flavor I can't put my finger on. It reminds me of gum drop candies? Which are the least popular candies by a lot here, as any child on Halloween will tell you lol.
It may just be one of those locational things where if you didn't grow up with it, you just don't like it? Like peanut butter, I'm told.
I dunno... We do have a lot of things with rose water or lavender here. Personally, I don't like either. It makes the food taste like perfume. But they have to be somewhat popular; they sell frequently enough.
Interesting! I'm just an insulated American going by what I've heard on various reddit forums in the past. Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to meet too many Europeans personally yet :)
Redditors are notoriously full of shit, though, so I shouldn't be surprised.
Tbh, though, I would understand if someone didn't like PB; some times I don't even like it if there's too much.
I think this is it. Most of us get the boxed Turkish delight around Christmas time, and based our views on that. Sort of like fruit cake. While I'm still not a huge fan of it, getting some freshly made instead of the shit people normally get in the sake shitty packages makes a world of a difference.
Granted, not everyone is gonna like it either way, but I've heard from a lot of people to get some of the good stuff.
I'm an American and I remember liking Turkish delight as a kid. Haven't had it since then because I only had it when my dad got it for me, since he loves it, and I'd rather buy something else.
The problem is consistency. Buy some Turkish delight in Istanbul and they're ok, but some in Konya and they're the sweetest thing you'll ever eat, you cannot have them without some proper Turkish black tea.
Here’s the thing. Unless you’ve been to Turkey and/or know someone with appropriate cultural heritage, you’ve likely never had good Turkish Delight.
There’s a distinct quality difference between TD made with love for people who enjoy quality… and the shitty TD that’s mostly sold to tourists and in supermarkets, aimed at people who don’t know the difference.
I love Turkish delight... The rosewater is my favorite actually... I'm a random American, never been to Turkey, and my only European heritage is like 4 generations back from Italy. But I like kahvesi too (so much so that I got a cezve and learned how to make it), so idk. Maybe I just lucked out and got good quality.
This is so true, it hurts. American usually ever have access to Turkish Delight from year-old, mass-produced packages from the factories of big-name candy manufacturers, which are 50% preservatives and unpronounceable additives. This shit has only a passing resemblance to real Turkish Delight.
It doesn't have to be eaten or even made in Turkey; it only has to be well-made. It's easy to get good Turkish Delight in London; I bet you can even find good stuff in NYC, or another large city. It just has to be reasonably fresh, and made with good ingredients and a tiny smidge of pride.
What's really eye opening is growing up on the crap you get in America and then one day trying good Turkish Delight and realizing your childhood was a lie. And what's worse is realizing that it's nearly impossible to find quality stuff where you live.
I love a bunch of Turkish sweets and have the pleasure of having authentic Turkish sweets available close to me, but man I just really dislike Turkish delights lol
Sure, it doesn’t have to be ‘geographically’ Turkish - but it certainly tastes better when it’s made by someone who has it in their cultural background. Someone who’s made it their entire life and who learned it from her mother, who learned it from hers, etc.
For example, I buy mine from a very particular shop in Rotterdam here in the Netherlands. They specialise in Turkish Delight, with dozens of varieties. Like you say: they use good, traditional ingredients and it’s made fresh. It’s a place where the local Turks shop, and very highly rated because of their quality. It’s frequently mentioned as some of the best TD in Europe. They even ship it internationally.
I recently got a kilo, just to share with family and some coworkers who have never had it. I wanted to be sure that their first experience of it was a pleasant one. With chewy, flavourful TD made the proper way. Everyone loved it.
Thankfully in the Netherlands, we have a large Turkish population. Which means you can usually find something decent in your own city.
That’s perfectly fine :D Some things just aren’t to everyone’s taste.
Here in the Netherlands, we absolutely love licorice for example. It’s a very large part of the candy section in any supermarket. Sweet, salty, spicy, hard, soft, you name it. We love it. Meanwhile, your average American nearly throws up if they try it. It’s something that you have to grow up with to really enjoy.
Haha I'm swedish actually so I understand what you mean! I never get tired of watching videos of Americans trying our salty "djungelvrål" licorice, the second they get it on their tongue they almost puke, meanwhile I can't get enough
